Haute Route Ski Itinerary
Arrival Day
The group will rendez-vous at the Chamonix Experience Office the evening before the trip starts. Here, we will have an informal chat about the week ahead. There will also be a chance for the guide to check your clothing and gear and you have time to decide if you need to pick up any missing equipment or leave some behind to lighten your pack before setting out in the morning.
Day 1. Ski Grand Montets and hike to Argentiere Refuge
We start with a relatively easy day. The morning will be spent skiing around the Grand Montet lift system to get your ski legs working again. The guide will check everybody’s ski level and make sure that there are not issues with the kit. After lunch we will make our way down from Grand Montet top staion to the Argnetiere Glacier and the Argentiere Refuge for our first night together.
Day 2. To the Trient refuge in Switzerland
An early start as it is this is a rather long ascent of about 750m and four and a half hours to the Col de Chardonnet. From the Col at 3,323m, we descend into Switzerland onto the Saleina Glacier. We have a short ski down to 3,091m and then a skin up to Fenêtre de Saleina (3,261m). To reach the Trient refuge (3,170m) we have to cross the Trient Plateau, approximately a one hour flat skin. This is quite a hard day with a total of about 1,000m of ascent.
Day 3. Trient refuge to Mont Fort refuge
We descent down Val d’Arpette to the Village of Champex (1,466m). In Champex, the guide will arrange taxi to Verbier (1,490m). In Verbier we will have the possibility to stock up on food (lunch packs) adjust gear if needed, take out money etc. From there we will take a lift to get to the Mont Fort refuge (2,457m) which offers the luxury of a shower. It is an easy day with almost no ascent.
Day 4. Mont Fort to the Prafleuri refuge
After four to five hours of skinning uphill, you reach the summit of Rosablanche (3,336m, total ascent of 1,060m). From there we have a great descent to the lovely Prafleuri refuge (2,624m).
Day 5. Prafleuri to Arolla
An early start to avoid avalanche risk as we are spending most of this day traversing the west side of the Lac des Dix, from the top of the lac we will have a 600m climb over the col du Chats. We will continue with a relatively flat skin passing below the Dix hut and reaching the base of the ladders that lead to the pas de Chèvre. You will then have a great descent to the Swiss village of Arolla (2,006m) where will spend the night at a cosy hotel.
Day 6. Arolla to Cabane de Bertol
From Arolla we have 1300m to climb to reach the Cabane du Bertol (3311) the actual distance covered however is not great so the day will go quickly. We start by making our way up the Val dArolla and passing the Plans de Bertol before crossing the Bertol Glacier and making our way up more ladders to the spectacularily situated Bertol Refuge.
Day 7. Bertol to Zermatt – a long last day!
This is a long, hard last day. We start with making our way back down the ladders and a short descent to join the Haut Glacier d’Arolla. We will then skin up to Col du Mt Brulé (3,213m). This is followed by a rising traverse up to Col de Valpelline (3,568m) which is our last ascent. 
Finally we have a long descent down the Stoch and the Zmutt glaciers to Zermatt. The last bit can be very slushy as it is late in the day. Total ascent 950m.
After a well deserved beer in Zermatt there will be a minibus waiting to take you back to Chamonix, a two and a half hour drive. Once back in the Chamonix you will have a short debrief over a coffee at our office where you can also swap photos before heading home.
Download this Haute Route from Chamonix to Zermatt to view it in 3D in Google Earth.
All times quoted above are approximate and will vary depending on the level of the group and the conditions. This itinerary via Verbier has room for flexibility and can be changed along the way should the weather get bad.
